Posts by Jeff Vorva
Orland Park bracing for the snow and cold
By Jeff Vorva There is a lot of snow and a lot of cold in the forecast for the holidays. But Orland Park is ready. Public Works Director Joel Van Essen said before Monday’s board of trustees meeting that the game plan is in place for whatever beating Mother Nature wants to dish out –…
Read MoreArea Hoops Wrap: IHSA releases basketball postseason assignments
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Most of the holiday basketball tournaments have not even started, but the IHSA has already released its 2023 postseason assignments. For some area schools, the placements into some sectionals are not exactly gifts from Santa. Area teams Reavis, Brother Rice, Hubbard, Marist, St. Rita, Oak Lawn, Sandburg, Shepard and Stagg…
Read MoreArea Sports Roundup: Mother McAuley’s Gigi Navarette voted best player in the U.S.
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It was Navar in doubt. Mother McAuley senior Gigi Navarrete easily won a public vote conducted by Scorebook Live for best high school girls volleyball player in the country. Of 30,761 votes cast, 16,197 (53%) were for the Mighty Macs libero. Coming in a distant second was Ava Safara of…
Read MoreNorthwestern unveils modern heart clinic at Palos Hospital
By Jeff Vorva For a little while, Suite 1520 on the first floor of Palos Hospital was “unutilized,” according to Jeff Good, the hospital’s president. “It had been a women’s health clinic and they moved most of those services to the Orland Park campus,” Good said. “It was actually a very beautiful space, but it…
Read MoreArea Sports Roundup: Marist, Nazareth mourns deaths of coaches
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It was a sad week for two area schools. The Marist and local running communities were saddened by the death of Jon Gordon on Dec. 9, two days after sophomore Nazareth baseball coach Mario Ortiz. Gordon, the RedHawks’ boys track and cross country coach since 2017, died Dec. 9.…
Read MoreArea Hoops Wrap: Holiday tournament season starts early at Oak Lawn
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Oak Lawn got a jump on the rest of the area basketball world when its girls holiday tournament opened for business Dec. 10. Most area boys and girls holiday basketball tournaments take place the week before or the week after Christmas. But Oak Lawn has a tradition of hosting its…
Read MorePekau has mixed reactions to SAFE-T Act changes
By Jeff Vorva In response to criticism during the election campaign, the Illinois General Assembly has made some changes to the SAFE-T Act. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, one of the act’s harshest critics, is not completely satisfied. Pekau has voiced criticism of the law, especially its no bail provision that kicks in on January…
Read MorePalos Heights council talks wall of tributes
By Jeff Vorva Tributes were the talk on Tuesday. The Palos Heights City Council meeting featured a discussion on building a wall to honor volunteers in town and kicked ideas around to honor former aldermen Dolores Kramarski, who died in November, and Alan Fulkerson, who died in 2020. The council unanimously voted to foot a…
Read MoreMahoney not running for Palos Park mayor; Milovich-Walters throws hat in the ring
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park will have a new mayor in 2023. John Mahoney will end his 16-year tenure as mayor next year after he announced this week that he will not run for a fifth term. “Every time you run for office you think about it,” the 60-year-old Mahoney said about leaving the post.…
Read MoreLocal Hoops Wrap: Transfers shining for Saint Xavier in early going
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The transfer portal is turning college athletics upside down, and Saint Xavier men’s basketball coach Robert Ford is enjoying it. And taking advantage of it. Jaeden King came to SXU in 2021 after transferring from NCAA Division II Tiffin University. Prior to that he played at Western Illinois. He is…
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